My Childhood Nemesis
by oathkeepings
Summary: Louise reunites with her childhood nemesis 9 years after the last time they saw each other. Logan and his family moved a few hours away, and Louise was sure she'd never see him again. Louise, now 18, gets a twist of fate when she meets Logan again, who is now 23. Louise is met with confusing feelings that she is forced to face.
1. Chapter 1

I just graduated school this summer, and I was ecstatic. I was laying on my bed, looking through some college pamphlets when my mom knocked on my door.

"Louise! Do you want to come with me to Fresh Feed?" I rose off of my bed and slipped some tennis shoes on.

"Sure mom," I replied. I opened the door and she greeted me with a smile. My mother and I didn't always get along the greatest when I was younger, but as I got older, I realized how much I related to her. She's like my best friend now, and I don't know what I'd do without her. She grabbed my hand and we walked out to the car together and drove out to the store.

* * *

Once we arrived, mom took a cart over to the dairy section, and I headed toward the cereal aisle. I've been addicted to cereal lately, I eat it at all times during the day... It's kind of a problem. As I walked out of the aisle with an armful of boxes, someone bumped into me and I dropped them all over the floor.

"Hey! Watch where you're going..." I muttered.

"Ah, sorry," the man replied. I looked up at him, and my eyes widened. He was tall, blonde, and had a slight slouch in his posture. I recognized him, but from where?

"Yeah, well," I said, fixing my bunny ears, "Watch where you're going next time, okay?" He bent over and grabbed the cereal boxes for me.

"Yeah, I will, Louise." He said, smiling. My eyes widened even more as I took the cereal boxes from him.

"How do you know who I am?"

"You hated my guts like, 9 years ago. I stole your ears, remember?"

"...What? L-Logan?"

"The very same. I'm just more tame, now. I'm surprised you still wear those ears," he chuckled.

"They're connected to me... Might as well be sown into my scalp, ha-ha-ha..." I laughed nervously.

"Louise! Bring the cereal and put it in the cart!" My mom yelled from across the way.

"I-I gotta go, my mom's calling me." I brushed past him nervously and tossed the cereal in the cart like I was asked. I turned around to look at him, and he was gone.

"Who was that, hunny?" My mom asked.

"Oh, it was no one..." She didn't inquire further, and we finished our shopping trip in comfortable silence.

* * *

We returned home, and I helped mom put all of the groceries away before returning to my room to relax. I couldn't seem to get Logan out of my brain, and it was making me nauseous. A moment later, my phone beeped.

 _Hey, you manage to get me out of your head yet?_

I was beyond confused.

 _Who is this..?_

 _Oh, I think you know, bunny ears._

 _Logan?_

 _The one and only._

 _How'd you get my number?_

 _Your sister and I have stayed in touch._

I stood up immediately and marched up to my sister's room.

"TINA!" I yelled.

"Uhhhh... What?" She groaned.

"Why did you give Logan my number?"

"He asked, I figured it wasn't a big deal, I'm sorry Louise," my sister apologized. I rolled my eyes and went back down into my room. I couldn't help but silently thank my sister for giving my number to him. I smiled giddily at my phone, and silently cursed myself for feeling this way. I entered Logan's number into my phone with the simple name of "L".


	2. Chapter 2

I won't lie, I went to bed giddy that night. I didn't respond to his last text, I thought maybe leaving him hanging would make things more interesting. I've never been one to flirt or experiment with dating. I grew up fascinated with science and history, and when I wasn't burying my head in those text books, I read and watched anime. I love Studio Ghibli films more than I can ever really express to you. I've clung on to my sassy and sarcastic ways, I know they make me who I am. There's no denying, though, that I've grown up quite a bit. I've matured a lot, learned a lot, and have become more open to things the older I get. I thank my parents every day for being as grounded as they are. They've made growing up a lot easier, because they've both gone through hardship, but are both still so wise and happy. I aspire to be like them someday.

It was funny that Logan came back into my life, especially so suddenly. As a kid, even though he picked on me and stole my beloved bunny ears, I always had a secret crush on him. I never knew how to handle feelings like that. Instead of being giddy about them and chasing boys like Tina, I channeled any romantic feelings I ever had into anger and despair. I didn't like the idea of being interested in another human being. All you ever really have is yourself and your family (if you're lucky), and I knew as a kid I never wanted to risk investing even a little of myself to another human- especially not romantically. As a kid, you can't really prepare yourself for what love really is, but I tried to safeguard myself as much as my young brain could. I've decided now that love and heartbreak is a key component of growing up, and if you don't experience it, you'll never grow wiser in life. I also really want to find someone someday that loves me like my dad loves my mom. He still looks at her like it's the very first time he's laid eyes on her. I never imagined love like that actually existed.

* * *

I was awoken by birds chirping from outside my window. I sat up slowly, rubbed the crust out of the corner of my eyes, and stretched. I yawned deeply, and looked at the clock. 7:45am sharp- that's when my internal alarm clock gets me up. Every morning, without fail. I've always wondered what it would be like to sleep in, but my body would never allow it. I stood up, and immediately dressed myself. I slipped on a pair of black skinny jeans, a black band tee, and a red pair of Converse. Today, I opted to go without my bunny ears. Unlike when I was young, I now really dislike dresses, and don't feel the need to wear my ears 24/7. I still wear my ears frequently enough, but I've weaned myself off of them for the most part. I don't "need" them to feel complete, anymore.

"Louise, come down for breakfast! I made your favorite! Blueberry waffles, bacon, and scrambled eggs!" My mother beckoned from down the stairs. That woman knows the path straight to my heart... I'll give you a hint, it's through my stomach.

I ran down the stairs and took my spot at our regular table. Tina was now 22, and Gene is 20. Our parents always told us they'd never let us move out. Our restaurant hit a pretty big spike a few years back, and suddenly we found that we weren't struggling anymore, but we were thriving. We eventually relocated our home to a real house closer to the lake, and kept the restaurant where it was. That way, we had a bigger, nicer living space and didn't always have to be right above the shop. Mom and dad left the top space open for us if we ever decided to fly the coop; but they're so laid back that none of us really feel the need to leave. If one of us left, it would feel incomplete anyway.

I gobbled up my breakfast in what felt like record time, and ran back upstairs to my room to read up on a bit of Cold War history. It wasn't homework, I just really love reading history-related books. Suddenly, I felt my phone vibrate.

 _Logan: Hey, thanks for ignoring me last night._

 _Me: Yeah yeah, sorry. A girl like me is busy during the day, I need rest you know._

 _Logan: Oh I don't doubt that, but you definitely don't need beauty sleep._

I paused for a moment, trying to think of a response. Did he just tell me I was beautiful in a wise-ass sort of way?

 _Me: Oh really? What's that supposed to mean? Are you trying to be slick, Logan?_

 _Logan: Ah, maybe. Let's just say, you haven't gotten any uglier since the last time we locked eyes._

 _Me: Oh, what a compliment. I forgot, you're the king of those._

 _Logan: Ha ha, very funny. You just want me to tell you that you're beautiful, I'm not stupid. Cute effort though. Meet me at Wonder Warf at let's say, 6pm? Don't say no._

My heart started to beat quickly. Did he just ask me on a date? A few minutes later, another text.

 _Logan: Oh wait, like you could EVEN say no... You're totally starstruck! ;-)_

 _Me: You give yourself way too much credit, dude. Maybe I'll be there, maybe you'll be waiting like a loser. We'll see._

No response after that. For a moment, I wondered if I scared him off. I shrugged that thought off almost immediately though, he loves the chase, always has. Logan doesn't give people the time of day who can't match him in sass and wit. Maybe that's why we click as loudly and snugly as we do. Maybe I'll meet him at 6, maybe I won't.

I plopped down on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Logan Bush, you will be the death of me- these emotions are so unnatural...


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for all of the feedback everyone! I'm glad most of you seem to be enjoying my spin on Louise. I hear a lot of you saying I'm portraying Louise as someone she isn't, but hey... Everyone grows up- I think it's very feasible she could grow up to like school and secretly long for love. She's always going to be sarcastic at heart, but, I personally think of grown-up Louise the way I have been portraying her. Everyone will have a different opinion!**

 _Note:_ **I am keeping this one kinda short and sweet as I prepare to write about Louise and Logan's first hang out. I wanted to make most of the next chapter about that, so stay tuned!**

* * *

I sat on my bed and flipped through some of the new comic books I bought last week as I waited for time to pass. It didn't last long though, my mind kept wandering and I couldn't focus on anything for more than five minutes at a time. Finally, I just got frustrated and set my comic book aside, and headed downstairs to scope out what my family was up to. Tina and Gene were nowhere to be found, but Mom was in the kitchen, and Dad was napping on the couch. I walked into the kitchen and greeted my mother.

"Hey mom," I said.

"Hi honey, what are you up to?" She asked.

"I'm going with a friend in a few hours, just trying to kill some time before that."

"Oh? Who are you going with, and what time?" Mom asked me questions like that all the time when I go out. Not even because she wanted to know where I was, but just because she was genuinely curious.

"Logan Bush, we're going to meet up at Wonder Warf at like 6pm."

"You still talk to that Logan boy? Didn't he pick on you a lot as a kid?" She looked at me with a trace of concern on her face.

"Yeah, but we recently bumped into each other again and he seems a lot different now, as am I. So we're just gonna hang out and catch up, I suppose." It took everything in me to keep in the smile that was creeping into my cheeks.

"Ah, okay, just be careful sweetie." She smiled at me. "So, what are your plans until then? It's only 2 o'clock."

"Yeah, I'm not sure. I was trying to read some comics to pass the time, but I can't seem to focus."

"Well, I have to head out to Fresh Feed here in a minute to get some groceries again, if you want to tag along to pass the time." I smiled immediately.

"Yeah, I'd love to!" Anything to pass the time.

* * *

My Mom and I arrived at Fresh Feed a short while later, and grabbed a cart.

"Go pick out some snacks," Mom handed me a hand basket. "I'm going to go take care of the produce stuff right away. Meet me in the dairy aisle when you're done!" I nodded, and headed off toward the cracker aisle. I'm a huge sucker for saltine crackers, so I threw two boxes into my hand basket. I also grabbed some pretzels, some Ritz crackers, and some cheese dip. As I was browsing through the cereal aisle for the second time this week, I felt my phone buzz. It startled me, and caused me to drop my basket. Luckily, it landed on the ground without spilling anything. I recollected myself, and then checked my phone.

 _Logan: Hey dork. You going crazy thinking about seeing me later?_ I couldn't help but roll my eyes, ignoring the fact that he was sort of right.

 _Me: Not at all. I'm hanging out with my mom, she's definitely cooler company than you. ;)_ I added a wink to add a little flirt to the text, but I felt my heartbeat quicken as I hit send.

 _Logan: Yeah SURE! Whatever, I'll see you at the warf soon, cutie._ I felt my lips curl into a smile, it infected me and I couldn't stop it. I pushed my phone back into my pocket and went to seek out my mom. She was examining cheese in the dairy aisle.

"Hey mom, I'm done, I got what I wanted." I said.

"Only a few boxes of crackers? Are you sure you don't want more stuff?" She asked.

"Nah, I'm fine. I've still got lots of cereal and stuff at home. Thank you, though." We smiled at one another and browsed Fresh Feed a little bit longer before we left. We returned home and teamed up to put groceries away, and before I knew it, it was 5:30pm. I ran upstairs after helping my mom, and brushed my hair and my teeth. I threw on a black hoodie with white strings, as it will be chilly down by the warf as the night rolls through. It's about a 20 minute walk, so I decided to embark after I finished primping myself.

* * *

I popped earbuds into my ears as I walked with my hands in my pockets. I hummed along to the melody that was playing in my ears, and before I knew it, I was at the warf. I took a seat on a bench near the roller coaster, and waited with my eyes closed. I couldn't have been more nervous, but I guess one of my few talents was staying cool on the outside, even if I'm going crazy on the inside.


	4. Chapter 4

I could hear the sound of the ocean hitting the shore even with my earbuds in. The combination of the music and the tide were extremely calming, and I felt my heartbeat slow back to a normal pace, if only for a moment.

"Hey, short stuff." I felt a hand placed on my shoulder, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. I opened my eyes, and Logan was sitting next to me, smiling. I felt my heartbeat quicken again, as if it never slowed. Despite my anxieties bubbling in my stomach, I smiled.

"Hey, Logan. How long were you sitting there?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Just a few seconds. You looked really peaceful, so I decided not to bug you." He removed his hand from my shoulder, and part of me was disappointed. "So, what do you wanna do?"

"I dunno, it was your idea to hang out, you should've planned it out." I said jokingly.

"Ha ha, very funny. Pointing out my lack of preparation, how very Louise of you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I arched an eyebrow, hoping he wasn't insulting me.

"Don't take it personally, it was actually a compliment." He rose from the bench, and extended his hand to me. I looked up at him, confused and riddled with nerves. "C'mon, take my hand. Let's go have some fun." I blushed a deep shade of pink, before I took his hand and followed him into the neon lights of the warf.

Logan and I walked hand in hand for a bit before we stopped in the middle of the wharf.

"Would you like to eat first, play games, or ride rides?" Logan asked politely.

"Um, I haven't eaten, but we can do whatever you want. I'm good with anything." I said, smiling. He smiled back instantly, with a little tinge of crimson on his cheeks as he gazed upon me.

"Well, let's grab something to eat then." We walked over to one of the small restaurants on the wharf named Pasta-tively Italian! They just added it to the wharf last summer, and it's always packed. I've never tried it, so I was excited to go somewhere new. We walked in, and the host greeted us.

"Hello, welcome to Pasta-tively Italian! How many for you today?" The hostess chirped.

"Just the two of us, thanks." Logan replied, looking over at me with a smile. The hostess nodded, and walked us over to a booth in a cozy corner of the restaurant.

"Your server's name is Geoff, and he'll be right with you. Thank you for choosing Pasta-tively Italian today! Enjoy your meal!" We thanked the hostess before she skipped back to her post.

"So, what have you been up to these last few years since I saw you last?" Logan asked.

"Well, I graduated high school not too long ago, and I've been looking through college pamphlets for places around here. I wanna stay at home, so I'll likely stick to a college within a few miles. I've also been working for part-time work. My parents pay me well, but I kinda wanna get out there and get experience doing something else. It'll be a second job, and I only view it as a win-win. My father will be really flexible with my availability, and that way I can make extra money. What about you?" I asked.

"Wow, sounds like you've got everything figured out for the most part. Me? I went to college right out of high school. I moved away junior year because my parents divorced. I matured really fast in the last two years of school, because I realized how childish I still was, and I didn't want to be like that anymore. So I worked hard, got on the honor roll both years, and graduated in the top 10 of my class. Then I got my associates degree in science, and now I'm not sure what I want to go back to school for. I've been taking a little time off to work and save up some money. I work as a full-time teller at the bank over by Jimmy Pesto's." I was in awe. This boy, the one that took every chance he had to antagonize me, had grown up and found a passion in expanding his knowledge. I never thought Logan would turn into such an educated and mature person. I was lost in thought, smiling ridiculously to myself, before our server broke my daydream.

"Hello, welcome! My name is Geoff and I'll be taking care of you today. Anything I can get you to drink right away?" The server asked.

"I'll have a glass of water with a lemon wedge, if I can." Logan said.

"Of course. And for you?" The waiter looked down at me.

"Um, can I just get some raspberry tea?" I asked.

"Of course! Do you two still need time to look over the menu?"

"Yeah, we could use a little more time, if that's okay." Logan said.

"You got it, I'll be back with your drinks!" The waiter scooted off, and Logan returned his gaze to me.

"You got awfully quiet, did I say something wrong?"

"No, not at all. I'm just in awe of how much you've changed. You've matured so much since I last saw you, and I never thought you'd turn into the kind of person to value your education so much. Don't take that as an insult, because I'm not trying to insult you, I'm just kinda proud at how much you've grown." I was getting kind of tongue-tied around him. I felt my cheeks get hot, and I knew I was blushing. Logan chuckled a little.

"I know you're not insulting me, Louise. Your compliments mean a lot." He reached across the table and put his hand on mine, and I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Why does he make me so nervous? "You've matured a lot too. I can still see the same funny, sarcastic Louise, but you're also very mature and really driven to your goals, too."

"T-thank you." I tried to ignore the fact that I stuttered. "I just look up to my parents and how hard they work. I may not want to follow in their footsteps as restaurant owners, but I do want to match their ambition and love for what they do. I'm just not sure what it is I want to do yet that will make me feel the way running the restaurant makes them feel." Logan smiled at me.

"I think I could learn a lot from you, Louise." I blushed again, and before I knew it, the waiter was back at the table.

"Here's your water with lemon," he placed the glass in front of Logan. "And raspberry tea for you." He placed my glass in front of me and dropped two straws on the table. "All ready to order, then?" Logan looked at me, and I nodded. I didn't really look much at the menu, so I scanned it quickly and found something I wanted without much thought.

"Yeah, I'll just have the ravioli." Logan said, folding up his menu and handing it to the waiter.

"Sounds great, and for you?" The waiter looked back over at me.

"Uh, I'll have the chicken parmesean." I said smiling, handing the menu back to the waiter.

"Thanks guys, I'll go put that in to the kitchen right now. If you need anything, just let me know." Geoff took the menus and took off.

"So, what do you wanna do after this?" Logan asked.

"Um, that's totally up to you. You're the one that wanted to take me out. I'll do anything you want to go do. I'm pretty open-minded." Logan laughed.

"It was never like you to go with the flow so effortlessly; that'll take some getting used to." I kicked him gently from under the table.

"Shush, you." I giggled. He makes me feel like a little girl. I hate it so much, but at the same time, it's something I've never experienced, and I love every moment of it.

We eventually got our food and chatted a bit about life, just catching up from the years we spent apart. I learned that Logan was an animal lover, and that his mom Cynthia had another child with her new husband, so Logan helped a lot with watching his sister Kate. He told me that he still plays baseball in a league with his friends, and that he lives on his own in an apartment near the wharf. We finished up our dinner, and he insisted on paying the bill, so after a little strife, I agreed to let him. He took my hand again the minute we stood up, and I couldn't help but smile.

We got back to the salty air of the wharf, and I looked around the pier to examine the activities. I've grown up with this wharf around me, but every time I come here it seems like there's something different. There's just so much to do, that it can be hard to keep up with remembering everything that goes on. Logan and I walked around the pier a bit before he dragged me over to the ferris wheel.

"Two tickets for the wheel, please." Logan said to the man in charge of the ride.

"That'll be two dollars." The tall, musky man said. Logan handed him two dollars, and in exchange, opened the gate to let us in. We took a seat on the wheel, and I positioned myself across from Logan.

"Ah, no. Come here." He patted the space next to him. I instantly tensed up, and couldn't move. "Hey, I said come here." He grabbed my arm to drag me from my seat, and I sat next to him. A few moments later, the wheel slowly began to move. Logan pulled the hood from my head, and tucked my hair behind my ear.

"You know, you're just as beautiful without your ears as you are with them. I think you're beautiful no matter what you decide to wear." He smiled warmly at me, and I had to turn my face away to hide the beaming smile that crept across my face. "Nope, don't you look away from me." He put his hand on my cheek and gently brought my face back toward him so I could meet his gaze. My face was a bright shade of crimson at this point, and I had more than just butterflies running through my stomach. "Hey, look at that view. Isn't it amazing?" He still had his hand on my face, but he was now looking over the wharf, to the ocean where the sunset was causing the water to sparkle in shades of orange. I didn't realize we were already at the top of the wheel. The wheel came to a gentle stop, probably to let someone else on. He turned his gaze to me again, and opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself. I looked at him with a confused look on my face, and he just smiled. He put his other hand on my other cheek, and leaned into me. I closed my eyes, and felt his soft lips on mine. I felt like my heart could pop out of my chest, it was unreal. I felt every nerve in my body tingle, and he moved his hands from my cheeks. He wrapped his arms around my neck, and deepened our embrace. I felt like I was melting into him, and I never wanted this moment to end.

We got off of the ferris wheel a few moments later, and I didn't stop smiling for the rest of the night. He kept my hand in his for the remainder of our date, and eventually walked me back home.

"Thank you, Louise. Thank you so much for giving me the time of day to take you out. You'll be hearing from me again soon, and I'll think of something just as fun for us to do next time." Logan said, smiling. He grabbed my other hand in his, and kissed me on the lips. When he pulled away, I couldn't stop myself from wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him in close.

"No, thank you, Logan." I managed to say quietly, under my breath. My heart was still pounding. He had an effect on me that I never imagined anyone could ever have. "You showed me an amazing time and made me feel so warm inside... I can't thank you enough for that. And thank you for paying for dinner." I felt him sigh, as he pulled away a little and looked me in the eyes.

"You deserve it, beautiful. But, you need to get that heartbeat on track, or your heart might just pop out of your chest." He teased. My face turned red, for the thousandth time that night.

"Oh don't pick on me, I can feel your heartbeat too, and it can get just as rapid."

"I guess you just have that effect on me, you beautiful thing, you." I rolled my eyes, but my smile was bigger than ever. "I should get going though, my dog is probably ready to go outside and I've got work nice and early tomorrow. Thank you for tonight, love. I had the time of my life."

"Me too, Logan." I went up on my tippy-toes to give him one more lengthy kiss goodbye, then gave him a hug, and let him leave me. I didn't want him to ever leave, and that scared me.


	5. Chapter 5

Once I finally let everything sink in, I walked into the restaurant where my parents were finishing up the dinner rush. Mort was sitting at the counter chatting with my dad, and my mom was busing one of the booths that just got done being used. Once my mom heard the door, she perked up from the booth and smiled at me.

"Hey sweetie, how was your outing with Logan?" She asked. I tried to shush her, because I didn't want dad to hear that I was with Logan. My dad didn't hate Logan or anything, but when we were growing up, my dad wasn't overly fond of him. I was keeping this from him for a reason, but the cat was out of the bag before I had a chance to stop it.

"Logan? You mean Logan Bush?" My dad interrogated. I rolled my eyes in my mom's direction. I should know better than to tell my mom things. In her defense, she didn't know it was a secret, but at the same time, she's so bad at keeping quiet. She doesn't even do it on purpose, she's just naturally talkative, and loud.

"Yes dad, Logan Bush. Before you point your accusations at me, he and I have both grown and changed a lot since the last time you saw him. I won't allow you to make judgments against him or me, since you don't even know what he's like anymore," I said sternly. My dad's not judgmental, but, my family does have a not-so-great history with the Bush family.

"I wasn't going to judge, Louise. I just want you to make sure you know what you're doing, and to keep yourself safe," he lectured. I laughed while I rolled my eyes. He's such a typical dad, being protective and stuff.

"Yeah dad, I'm an adult now. Believe it or not, I'm a pretty good judge of character. I wouldn't be hanging out with him if I thought he was still annoying and troublesome. I don't think he's bad news anymore." My dad shrugged his shoulders and went back to his conversation with Mort. That was an easier conversation than I thought it was going to be, at least.

"Sorry honey," my mom whispered, "you know my voice carries. I didn't know you didn't want your father to know." I shrugged.

"I just know he's not a fan of that family. Between Logan stealing my ears years ago, to the gardening club incident. I know our families have a not so good history, but, Logan really has matured, I promise."

"You don't gotta explain yourself to me sweetie, you're an adult now and you can do as you please. All I ask is that you be careful. You may think you know a person, but sometimes it ends up that you don't know anything at all. Trust me, I learned that the hard way plenty of times in my day before I met your father."

"Thanks mom. We can talk more about it later, if you want." Her eyes lit up, and I excused myself to return to my room. I'm glad my parents trust me to make the right decisions. I must admit, I don't know if this decision is the right one, or if it's going to lead me to my first real heartbreak. I guess that's why love is so invigorating to humans. You never know if you're making the right choice until it either ends, or becomes a promise of forever... And both of those things can take years to figure out.

Once I got up to my room, I opened up my laptop and started looking through college websites again. I've been so worried about what I want to do with my future, and still, nothing has really struck me. I was expecting to have this crazy "I KNOW WHAT I WANT TO DO WITH MY LIFE" feeling once I got out of high school, but that feeling never came. I don't know if that's because I just haven't found what it is that will make me feel that way, or if you never actually get a feeling like that about your future. Even my dad said that it took him a while to decide what he truly wanted to do before taking the plunge to open his own restaurant. Even when he was working with his dad, he explored other options before becoming set on his own burger shop. I don't think he ever had that true "lightbulb" moment, I think he just picked what he could tolerate most as his forever job, and ran with it. Suddenly, my phone buzzed, and snapped me out of my deep thought.

 _Logan: Thanks again for the date today. I was really nervous, but everything just feels... so natural with you. I hope you'll let me take you out again sometime, and soon! :)_

A smile tickled at the corner of my lips. Even just a text from him can get me smiling as if he was right next to me, saying these things to my face. I never thought I'd feel this way about another human, especially not the twerp from my childhood who always wanted to rival me in anything he could manage to... Wait a minute! Logan used to pick on me all the time, and would always try to one-up me when we were kids. Does that mean... he might have had a crush on me this whole time? I returned my gaze to my phone and started typing.

 _Me: Ah, yeah, it was a great afternoon. Thank you, too, for going out with me and paying for everything. You didn't have to do that. Anyway, while I'm thinking about it... You always had a crush on me, didn't you, Logan Barry Bush?_

I set my phone down on my desk, and almost couldn't bear to see what his reply was going to be. I looked through a few more college class offerings, before getting frustrated and giving up once again. I don't know how many times I can look through a class catalog before I can stop getting angry that nothing appeals to me. I just want to figure out what my calling is. Almost everyone from my graduating class knows what college they're going to, and what they're studying. Why can't I figure out my future as easily as they can? Then once again, as if he knows when he needs to interrupt my negative thoughts, another text.

 _Logan: Well, that's for me to know, and you to probably never find out! It'd be no fun if I didn't at least keep some secrets to myself, y'know? I'm going to go make dinner now, and take a shower. I'll probably head to bed soon. Dare I say, it'd be cozier if I had you to cuddle up with... But you know, I guess beggars cannot be choosers. Goodnight, Louise. Maybe you'll hear from me tomorrow, maybe you won't... Gotta keep up my mysterious persona, hahaha._

I rolled my eyes. Obviously not the answer I was hoping for, or expecting, but this is Logan we're talking about here. I should know by now that you can't expect his next move, even if he's much calmer and more grounded than he was when we were younger. He likes to try and stay mysterious, even though when I see him in person, his feelings are written all over his face. I closed out the message, and plugged my phone in to charge. I changed into a green pajama dress, and went into the kitchen to get some ice cream to quell my sweet tooth. I must've been looking at college things longer than I thought, because as soon as I got into the kitchen, it seemed everyone had gone off to sleep already. I checked the time on the oven, 11:43pm.

"Wow, when did it get that late?" I asked myself as I plopped a scoop of rocky road ice cream into my plastic bowl. I shrugged, and took my bowl into my room. After I finished it, I put the bowl on my nightstand, turned on my Kuchi Kopi night light, and laid down to sleep. My mind was instantly filled with thoughts of Logan, and what he might say tomorrow. What he might do, what I might feel deep in my heart. The boy has me in a very compromising situation, whether he knows it or not. I'm not one to let my guard down for anyone, much less a kid that used to torment me as a child. Even so, his kiss was so soft and felt so genuine, and I think my heart may somehow convince my brain that letting me fall may not be such a bad thing after all.


End file.
